Passionately Committed to Promoting Human Rights

“Before coming to Hunter, I’d heard great things about Hunter’s faculty – all of which proved true,” she says. “Every professor in the Political Science Department and Human Rights Program was wonderful. I was so excited and inspired by my classes.” Meanwhile, she completed internships at Human Rights Watch, in Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s District Office, in CUNY Law School’s housing court clinic, and at the High Atlas Foundation – a non-profit organization in Marrakech, Morocco.

With an academic focus on international political relations, Hover graduated with a major in political science and a certificate from the Roosevelt House Human Rights Program. By the time she earned her degree, she knew she wanted to promote global human rights by working in diplomacy – ideally as a policy writer at the U.S. Department of State. That would require graduate studies, followed by the State Department’s Foreign Service exam.

Yet her immediate path was not obvious. While she wanted to continue developing her research skills in politics and human rights, she didn’t want to rush into a master’s program. Pondering her next step, she sought the advice of Stephen Lassonde, director of Hunter’s Newman Office of Prestigious Scholarships.

“He suggested the Fulbright might be a good fit,” she recalls. “I’ve done a lot of research and analysis of politics, economic development, and land conflicts in India and sub-Saharan Africa, and I thought it would be interesting to apply what I’d learned to Eastern Europe.” Indeed, Hover was engaged in a forest-rights research internship in a mountainous region of India when word came of her Fulbright award.

Her successful Fulbright proposal focuses on land politics in Hungary, examining the ways in which different political interests and voices – both Hungarian and international – play into the development of policy shaping foreign investment in agriculture.  She’ll spend her Fulbright year at the Central European University in Budapest, furthering her Hungarian language study and engaging in the local culture while conducting her research.

After her Fulbright year, she’ll pursue a master’s at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, which has already granted her admission for the following year. Then Hover will head to Washington, where, by conducting scrupulous research on global human rights, she aims to play an influential role in drafting and amending U.S. foreign policy.

To get expert help with applying for Fulbright grants and other national awards, Hunter students and graduates should contact The Ruth & Harold Newman Office of Prestigious Scholarships & Fellowships at (212) 396-6910 or ops@hunter.cuny.edu.